Posted By Simon Walsh Grad IOSH Recently an incident has been reported to me when a defective powder fire extinguisher released its contents in a van whilst being driven on a road. Thankfully it was a quiet road and the driver was able to bring the vehicle to a halt safely. The extinguishers pin was in place and it seems that the contents was release due to a failure of the seal around the body and handle of the extinguisher. Any suggestions on how to transport defective extinguishers safely?

Posted By Simon Walsh Grad IOSH If they are defective discharging them may cause may more problems as in the handle blowing off and hitting someone in the face! My question was is there a safe way to transport defective extinguishers?

Posted By Tabs Was the driver aware that it was defective? If so, I agree with the last poster. I had a 5kg powder discharge in the boot of my car whilst going around an island (roundabout) and I can tell you that the powder got absolutely everywhere in the car in an instant... it clings to everything and was still being found when I sold the car three years later. The volume of the gas release for CO2 and powder means any airtight container would become a bomb, and anything less than airtight would be ineffective. Discharging is without doubt the best. After that, carry them outside the vehicle on a trailer or such.

Posted By Ron Young Then until it self-discharged, he was carrying a serviceable extinguisher and therefore it was being carried correctly. As these appliances are meant to be in prominent places and unrestricted, apart from regular inspection and maintenance, in my mind there's nothing that can be done.